Highway guard fence



0, 1935. R. 1.. STOCKARD HIGHWAY GUARD FENCE Original Filed March 21.1930 INVENTOR 13L. 'zaciferd BY ATTORN EY Reissued Aug. 20, 1935 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE HIGHWAY GUARD FENCE Robert L. Stockard, Nashville,Tenn., assignmto Eugene V. Camp, Atlanta, Ga.

This invention appertains to improvements in safety guards generally,and more particularly to fence or railing types of such devices whichare to be installed along streets, highways and the like to preventmoving bodies, such as vehicles from leaving the roadway on curves andother points,

where otherwise accidents and possible loss of life may result.

An object of the invention is to provide a fence or railing structure ofthe class set forth which is comparatively simple in design, inexpensiveto manufacture and install and highly eiicctive and efllcient in use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a structure ashereinbefore characterized which will operate to guide a vehicle alonethe edge of the roadway during any tendency of the same to leave theroad sidewlse and to prevent the vehicle from leaving the roadwayotherwise.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of meanswhereby the fence or railing structure will be unaffected by expansionor contraction from natural causes and will resist and absorb shocksincident to impact of vehicles 25 against the same with the leastpossible chance of damage thereto or to the vehicles themselves.

With the foregoing and other equally important objects and advantages inview, the invention resides in the certain new and useful construction,30 combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter morefully described. set forth in the appended claims and illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a plan view of a section of roadway, !5 showing a practicalinstallation of the improved guard fence or railing thereto;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the end section of the fence or railingas shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of adjacent end ,0 portions of a pair ofcompanion rail sections.

showing the same in position for joinder;

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 44 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a post and 5 bracket structure per se;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the post engaging end of the guymember or end brace; and

Figure 7 is a side elevation of the upper portion of an end fence postand showing the mode of en- 0 gagcment therewith of the attaching loopend of the deadman or brace, which is also in elevation.

Referring to the drawing, wherein like characters of reference designatecorresponding parts throughout the several views thereof and more 5particularly to Figures 1 and 2, the embodiment 4 Claims. (Cl. 25613.1)

of the invention, as shown therein by way of example only, is generallyconstituted in a series of spaced intermediate posts 2| and end posts 22arranged at desired points along one or both sides of a street orhighway just outwardly of the edge or edges of the road bedsubstantially as is shown in Figure 1.

Each group of the posts 2| and 22 is to support at least two guard railsat the inner sides thereof in superposed parallel relation, the upperguard rail 23 being preferably of less width than the lower guard rail24. Each of these guard rails 23 and 24 is preferably made up of two ormore lengths or sections joined together in end to end overlappedrelation. These sections will preferably be made in at least twostandard lengths, one being'substantially twice the length of the other.

In making a joint between adjacent rail ends, the latter will preferablyhave short pieces of the same spot welded on the opposed faces of theoverlapped end portions thereof, as at 23 (Figure 3), so that the pieceswill be disposed in juxta-position and preferably with their opposed endedges in abutted relation, when the rail ends are brought together. Theabutted edge of one of the said pieces 23' will preferably be cut toconcaved shape and the other made convex, which will permit of the selfalinement of the rail sections to compensate for variation of road bedand all vertical cuives. Holes for the bolts 25 will be drilled orpunched through the overlapped ends of the rail sections, with certainof the same passing through the portions 23, by which arrangement ajoint of maximum strength will be provided.

In erecting a fence or railing of this character. the end posts 22 eachwill preferably be braced in one direction lengthwise of the fence orrailing by means of a timber or the like 26 positioned diagonallybetween the upper end thereof and the lower end or foot portion of anadjacent intermediate post 2|, and in the opposite direction to a groundstake or the like 21. The brace or dead man for the latter purpose ismade up of a closed loop portion 28, to be engaged over the upper end ofthe adjacent end post 22, and a straight shank portion 28' extendingfrom the center of the outer side of the loop for screw threadedconnection at its free end with one end of a turn buckle 29. Theopposite end of the turn buckle 29 is arranged in screw threadedconnection with the adjacent end of a rod 30 which has its other endpassed through a companion anchor or ground stake 21 and in screwthreaded engagement with a nut 3|. Interposed between Iii) the outerside of the anchor 21 and the nut 3| is an angled washer or the like 32which cooperates with the nut 3! in a manner to sustain the rod 30rigidly in axial alinement with the turn buckle 29 and the shank 28' atall times. i

The invention contemplates no provision for the positive or rigidsecuring of the upper end lower rails 23 and 24 to the posts 2| and 22but to the contrary the same are mounted in position on the inner sidesof the post by means of brackets or the like which readily admit ofindependent movements of the rails relatively to the post and brackets,whether under the influence of expansion and contraction effects due tovariable weather conditions or impacts from vehicles.

To this latter end, and as shown, the separate bracket members 33 areprovided and each consists of a fiat plate which has its opposite upperend lower edges angularly bent to form opposed channeled lugs 33' toreceive a guard rail between the same after the manner of the support ofthe rails in the first instances of the invention. In this case, theupper of the brackets is mounted on the projecting end of a securingbolt 34 passed through a post and is held in spaced relation to theopposed face of the post by means 01' a coil spring 35 engaged on thebolt end. A bearing plate or washer 3B is also engaged on the bolt 3tand is interposed between the inner end of the coil spring 35 and thepost substantially as shown. Similarly, the lower bracket is mounted onthe outer projected ends of a pair of bolts 34 and is cushioned oncompanion coil springs 35 carried on the bolt ends at the outer sides ofcompanion bearing plates or washers 36.

Again referring to Figures 1 and 2, it is to be noted that a tensioningdevice or shock absorber structure is provided for cooperation with eachof the opposite ends of each of the guard rails 23 and 24 and in amanner o cushion the same under the force of impact of a vehicle at theinner sides of the latter. Each of these devices is preferablyconstituted in a rod section 31, extending parallel to the outer side ofa rail adjacent an end thereof and inwardly of the adjacent end post 22.This rod section 31 has its inner end fixedly secured to a mounting 38which is, in turn, secured in any suitable manner to the opposed side ofthe rail. The outer or free end of the rod section 31 is connected toone end of a turn buckle or the like 39, which has its opposite endconnected to the inner end of a second rod section 40 mounted in thepost 22. The outer end of this rod section 60 projects from the outerside of the post 22 and has a nut M screw threaded thereon at the outerside of a washer 42. Interposed between the washer 42 and a secondwasher 43 hearing directly against the adjacent side of the post is acoil spring as.

From this latter arrangement it will be obvione that, with the tensiondevices or shock absorber opposing each other at the opposite ends ofthe guard rails 25 and 24, any endwise movement of the latter, in eitheror both directions and resulting from the impact of a vehicle againstthe rails at the inner sides thereof, will be checked thereby and anyoutward buckling of the rails 23 and to an otherwise possible breakingpoint ac-cl.

As shown in Figure 'l, the inner side face of each of the end posts 22will preferably be angularly shouldered to seat the front end portion ofthe looped brace portion 28 flat on the same in order that the parts ofeach of the braces will be in axial alinement at all times and thebracing effect thereof will be fully effective.

It is also to be noted that the bolts 25 employed at the rail joints,are preferably of oval headed form, galvanized, and the heads thereofare placed on the inner or trafllc sides of the rails 23 and 24, inorder that a substantially smooth surface will be presented to theopposite line of traffic.

Without further description, it is thought that the features andadvantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled inthe art, and it will of course be understood that changes in the form,proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to, withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention or its scope as claimed.

I claim:

1. A guard fence the class described comprising a series of posts spacedalongsidea roadway, a support secured to the side of each of said postsfacing the roadway, a continuous length of flexible metal rail insertedthrough each of the said supp arts, compressible means interposedbetween each of said supports and posts, and spring tensioning meansconnecting the opposite end portions of each rail to the adjacent endposts and in such a manner as to oppose any buckling of the rails underimpact.

2. A guard fence of the class described comprising a series of postsspaced alongside a roadway, upper and lower brackets carried on the sideof each of said posts facing the roadway, a continuous length offlexible metal rail inserted through the upper and lower sets of saidbrackets, spring means interposed between said brackets and said posts,and spring means connecting the opposite end portions of each of saidrails to the adjacent end posts and in a manner to tension the railsagainst undue buckling movements under impact, said first named springmeans acting to absorb shocks imparted to the rails when impacted.

3. A guard fence of the class described comprising a series of postsspaced alongside a roadway, brackets spaced vertically of said posts andfacing the roadway, a continuous length of flexihie metal railinserted-through companion brackets on said posts, compressible meansinterposed between said brackets and said posts, tensioning meansconnecting the opposite end portions of each said rails to the adjacentof and posts and in a manner to oppose undue buckling movements underimpact, said compressible means acting to absorb shocks imparted to therails when impacted, and means for bracing said end posts in oppositionto the strains and stresses on said rails and said tensioning means.

4. The guard fence as set forth in claim 3 and having the lowermost ofsaid rails of a greater width than that of the uppermost thereof wherebythe greater strain of impact will be concentrated toward the groundedportions of said posts.

R. L. S'ZGCKARD.

